Also called bandu knots, zulu knots are a funky but classic alternative to the standard top knot or double-bun. Allure published an easy tutorial (starting on the 13th slide) on creating summer-ready zulu knots. You can divide hair into six sections and secure with clear elastics. If you need a little hold, before brushing and dividing the sections spray your brush with a hair spray such as our Hair-Fie Ready Finishing and Shine Spray. You then twist each section until it starts to roll into that cinnamon bun-looking shape naturally. Then, secure another elastic and double-secure with bobby pins.
This twisted low-do created and demonstrated by YouTuber Cinthia Truong here is totally doable and elegant. Outdoor wedding season, anyone? To recap her video, you'll make sections on each side of your head with the hair closest to your face, then pin the rest together in the back in a slight twist. Divide that back section into two, and turn each into rope braids. Wrap those braids around your fingers and secure into the crown with a pin. Then you'll twist and pull the two front sections back and pin. Besides making sure you have hair spray and bobby pins ready, you might also want to consider starting with a base of the hair that's full. You can either use a root lifter like our Root Werk Root Lifter before blowing out, and/or use a larger barrel curling wand (our Classic Curling Wand with a 32mm barrel, for example) to create fullness before you put your hair up. You can also gently tug on the hair in each section once it's pinned, to make it softer and more voluminous, as Truong shows in the tutorial.
While a fishtail braid might technically be an "updo" in the traditional sense, it has such a fun summertime vibe. They look like they might be too difficult to achieve yourself, but YouTube vlogger and stylist Kayley Melissa created a how-to video for fishtail novices that's very user-friendly. Regardless of the length or texture of your hair, braids seem to hold better when it's not fresh-off-a-blowout-clean. To add some texture and mask any greasy roots so the hair can be slightly dirty for this braid, we'd recommend applying a product like our This Dry Shampoo Is Everything powder.
Our girl, beauty influencer Milabu, always delivers, especially with braids. We particularly like her take on double rope twist braids in this simple tutorial for summer up-dos. As she demonstrates in the video, you divide your hair into two sections at a diagonal. After tying off one side, start with a front section of hair on the other side then separate that into two sections. Twist the bottom section toward your face a few times, then the top section away from the face a few times (another option you can play with is twisting both sections the same direction). You will then pull that bottom section over the top (always over bottom over top with these braids), and work your way down repeating that technique, adding more hair to the bottom and top sections as you go. Repeat on the other side then pin the ends of the braids in back—or create a small, messy bun and secure with elastics at the end of each braid. Secure the rope twist braids with hair spray. Our Hottie Alert Shine Hairspray is excelling for setting all styles.
We hope these looks we'll help you stay cool but still cute this summer. You can also spare yourself the extra heat since none of them styles require using heat tools—because nobody likes to start sweating before they even leave the house. For more hair ideas, inspiration, and how-to's, find us on Instagram @NuMeHair. Sign up for our NuMe Rewards & Loyalty Program to earn points so that you'll be on your way to achieving gifts, products, tools, and even tickets to exclusive NuMe events!
Looking for more hair inspo? Check it out here & here!
Author: Mary Patterson Broome
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